When sin encroaches upon our hearts, we lose sight of the glory of Jesus. We can usually rightfully blame the problem on someone else, but ultimately it is our problem. Rehoboam dealt harshly with his subjects. He was wrong to do that. The northern tribes took offense; they were harshly treated. They could have forgiven Rehoboam, but they did not. They were wrong to do that. Instead a cloud enveloped their vision. Listen to these words of theirs, “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.” What inheritance? They had the promise of God through the vision of Nathan the prophet spoken to David that Messiah would come through David’s inheritance. What share did they have in David? Their complete hope rested in the Son of David, no not Rehoboam, or even of Rehoboam’s lineage. (Mary was the descendant of Nathan, the son of David.) They let the offense obscure their vision of the promised Messiah. They lost sight of the glory of Jesus.
O Lord, do not let the offense of others obscure my sight so that I let go of my inheritance in You. Let me always see Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PROVERBS 10
10:3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.There have been a few books and articles written about people who win lotteries or come into sudden wealth. As a general rule from these books and articles, it would appear that it does not end well for these people. Why? One would think that coming into the possession of millions of dollars would bring great blessing into the lives of the previously financially poor.
10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
True blessing comes from the inside and works its way out of one’s life. It is the glory of God to bless people. But His blessing is not the giving of wealth from the outside. His blessing is to work on the thoughts attitudes and desires of the inner man. As those attitudes are transformed, they work the transformation of the outer life. The transformation shapes one’s life to become a life of joy and peace in the satisfaction of giving. Without the transformation, life is a matter of acquiring and possessing.
Because of Jesus, I am learning to be a giver and not a taker. Boone Pickens may have given $400,000,000.00 in stock to OSU, but is it because he is a giver, or is it because he wants to make a name for himself that will be remembered for the next generation. According to Wikipedia, he apparently has taken some kind of billionaire’s pledge to give away half of his fortune. That is quite a bit out of his estimated 1.4 billion net worth. Very admirable indeed, but he could still live quite sumptuously on $750,000,000.00 for the rest of his life. If I gave away half of my net worth, I could live a little less than 2 years without more income. But the question is not about Boone Pickens, it is about me. As I think about this concept, I realize that perhaps I am more of a taker than I thought I was. So probably are you.
If true blessing comes from the inside and works its way outward, then maybe I am not grasping the glory of the Lord as strongly as I should be. If my soul is solely set upon His glory, I will not in the least be disappointed with little financial reserve. He will not allow my soul to famish. His blessing always comes with wholeness of life, not just financial riches. Wholeness of life enables me to truly say, “And having food and clothing, with these I shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:8. Lord, enable me to be satisfied with nothing less than Your glory alone. I want the riches of Your glory that brings no sorrow. . Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
REVELATION 1
In most of our world today it is not easy to be a Christian. In some sections of India some Hindus are carrying out pretty intense persecution of believers while the government just goes through the motions of trying to stop it. In portions of China believers in house churches are regularly arrested and harassed by the police. In many Islamic countries believers who share their faith with others are often imprisoned and tortured. The Sudan has a horrendous record of slavery, torture and murder of Christians. More people have died for believing in Jesus in the last 100 years than in all the centuries combined. It is hard for us in the United States, where our persecution is not intense, to really relate to the brutality that our brothers and sisters elsewhere are experiencing today. Persecution in the U.S. is currently limited to things like the name Christmas being taken out of stores or prayer out of schools, or in some extreme cases, creationists losing their jobs for speaking what they believe to be true. These pale in comparison to our brothers and sisters in other countries.
It was to people enduring persecution that the Revelation of Jesus Christ was given. It is popular today to study Revelation to try to figure out what the end time events are going to be like. And it does give some clues to end time events. But for the first century Christian who received the Revelation, it was not so much a teaching on end time events as an encouragement in the midst of persecution that Jesus is indeed the Sovereign God. He is in control. No other book gives such great and fantastic images of the Lord Jesus because its purpose is to bring encouragement to believers who are in the midst of persecution. What better place to look for the glory of the Lord Jesus than the book of Revelation?
This first chapter begins with this larger than life image of Jesus. Are we to take the image literally? I mean, does Jesus really have a double edged sword coming out of His mouth? Seems like it would be unbelievably difficult to eat, speak or swallow. Obviously we are to take the meaning of the images literally but the actual image is there to produce a feeling of the meaning, the power and majesty of the meaning. There is the rub. What is the meaning of the images that John sees on Patmos? It seems that for every commentary you pick up, there is a different meaning. I hope that in our sprint through Revelation that we will be able to see the glory of Jesus in a new and fresh way. It will certainly not be my intent to draw an outline of end time events. That is for a different setting.
It is interesting to me that of this initial description of Jesus, Jesus uses just a part of the initial description to address each individual church. The glory of our Lord is so multifaceted, so complex, that we cannot grasp it all at once. We must focus on different aspects of His glory a little bit at a time. If I am in deep persecution, would I not wonder why my Lord, who is all powerful, does not burst into my space time continuum and save me? Maybe that is why he makes reference to the patience of Jesus Christ (v.9). If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder where my Lord is in the midst of my pain? Maybe that is why He is revealed as the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end. If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder where my Lord is in the midst of the impenetrable darkness that seems to surrounds me? Maybe that is why He is revealed as being in the midst of the lampstands. If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder if my Lord is able to see me and my pain? Or am I just hidden in the morass of what surrounds me. Maybe that is why He is revealed as the One who has eyes like a flame of fire. He burns away the camouflage and nothing is hidden from His sight, including me in my pain. If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder in the midst of the philosophical and judicial arguments that are being broadcast on TV, in the schools, in books, in magazines, in newspapers, on the radio, does anyone really hear the voice of truth? Maybe that is why He is revealed as the One whose voice is as the sound of many waters. If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder if the Word of God is really as effective the Bible claims? After all, it looks like the bad guys are winning! Maybe that is why He is revealed as the One who has the sharp sword coming out of His mouth. Yes, indeed His word is sharp and effective, and it will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent forth. It slays those in opposition to Him and sets those free who submit to His surgical power. If I am in deep persecution or pain, would I not wonder where the glory of My Lord is? Maybe that is why He is revealed as having a countenance that is like the sun shining in its strength. To try to grasp it all at once is painful and impossible, but it will shine. A cloud may cover it for a time, but it is still shining in its strength, and the cloud will eventually dissipate. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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